Recent Articles
Montreal development part of Fitwel pilot project
Montreal development part of Fitwel pilot project
A planned 20-acre neighbourhood in Montreal is one of nine in the world — and the only Canadian site — participating in a Fitwel pilot project. The Quartier des Lumières is helping to lay the groundwork for an international Fitwel Community certification.
Suez inks biomethane plant deal in Montreal
French waste management company Suez has signed a deal with the City of Montreal to create an organic waste treatment centre. The new plant will convert organic waste material into biomethane, providing enough renewable gas to power around 3,600 households.
CaGBC gets CRE owners to disclose energy data
A new initiative has encouraged three major players with buildings across Canada — QuadReal Property Group, Triovest and Concert Properties — to publicly share energy and water consumption data from their portfolios, using the Canadian Green Building Council’s Disclosure data visualization tool.
York’s business school, a breath of fresh of air
When visitors enter the new Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto, many pick up on two features often conspicuously absent in other buildings; the light-filled space is surprisingly quiet, while the air is unexpectedly fresh.
Saskatchewan can return to its furnace-free roots
In 1977, Saskatchewan Research Council assembled a team of experts to build a “solar house.” The resulting Saskatchewan Conservation House pioneered many features — airtightness, passive heating and cooling, and heat-recovery ventilation — that would form the basis for the Passive House movement.
RIBA Stirling prize goes to Passivhaus housing project
The Stirling Prize is the top award in British architecture. It often goes to the flashy attention-grabber like last year when Bloomberg’s London office won. This year, the winner was a housing project built for the Norwich City Council.
Solar energy mythbusting for commercial properties
A wide range of energy-efficiency tools and strategies – professional energy audits, lighting replacements with ‘smart’ LED systems, HVAC updates with automated controls and general energy-saving practices – can have a significant impact on the bottom line for commercial property managers.
Corporate funding for solar up 34% year-over-year
Total corporate funding in the solar sector (including venture capital/private equity, public market, and debt financing) for the first nine months of 2019 was up with $9 billion raised, compared to $6.7 billion in for the same time period in 2018, a 34% increase year-over-year.
Solar power red-hot growth area in oil-rich Alberta
Solar power is beating expectations in oil- and gas-rich Alberta, where the renewable energy source is poised to expand dramatically in the coming years as international power companies invest in the province.
Norway’s pension fund pulls out of Alberta oilsands
• CTV News
The largest pension fund in Norway has removed four Calgary-based companies – Cenovus Energy, Suncor Energy, Imperial Oil, and Husky Energy – from its investment list in an effort to cut ties with Alberta’s oilsands and meet worldwide greenhouse gas emissions targets.
Wind and solar associations consider merger
The president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association says the industry has proven that wind can compete on price with other sources of electrical power but now it must prove it can be just as reliable.
Banks, insurers prepare for climate change regulation
• GreenBiz
The Bank of England’s supervisory statement SS3/19 sets out the regulator’s expectations for how banks and insurers should manage the financial risks of climate change, including governance and risk management frameworks, scenario analyses, stress testing and disclosure of climate-related risks.
Investor enthusiasm high for sustainable investing
• Ceres
More than eight-in-10 individual U.S. investors now express interest in sustainable investing, while half take part in at least one sustainable investing activity, according to a new survey published by the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing.
Green bond verification market 2019-2025
A green bond is a debt security allotted to raise capital specifically to fund projects that have progressive environmental benefits. Green bond verification improves the integrity of your debt issuance’s environmental or climate benefit claim via third-party verification.
Nestlé, Tim Hortons again Canada’s top plastic polluters
• CBC
For the second year in a row, Nestlé and Tim Hortons were the top companies behind branded plastic bottles, coffee cups, lids and other plastic waste collected in shoreline cleanups across the country according to a Greenpeace Canada report.
Banff aims to cut down on restaurant food waste
The Town of Banff is targeting the commercial sector with its “Zero Waste Trail” campaign, a voluntary initiative through which businesses receive a free assessment of their waste systems, tips on waste diversion, cost-saving ideas, free kitchen signage and more.
Cities reaching for the big green goals
Hawaii, Maine, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are pursuing 100% renewables. A dozen states have set standards to achieve at least 50% Others like California have “clean energy” goals meant to spur renewables. And more than 100 cities are striving for 100% renewables.
B.C. business urges parties to have strong climate plan
• Pembina Institute • Pembina Institute
Forty-five members of B.C.’s Business Coalition for a Clean Economy have signed an open letter, affirming their support for a Canada-wide climate plan that makes good on our Paris Agreement commitment to limit global warming to 1.5–2°C.
PACE provides answers for environmental challenges
More cities need to move at the local level to advance upgrades that can protect properties and saves lives. But despite a groundswell of political support for green initiatives, sustainability and resiliency upgrades remain limited and unaffordable for most Americans.
Cap-and-Trade is a smart move for Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s decision to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to curb carbon pollution from its power plants is the “right move for Pennsylvania businesses and the economic vitality of the Commonwealth,” said Ceres’ manager of state policy, Alli Gold Roberts.
Industry Events
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Sustainable Finance Forum 2024
Nov 28 2024
to Nov 29 2024
Shaw Centre, Ottawa -
Zero Carbon Building Standards Interactive Workshop
Dec 10 2024
to Dec 12 2025
Online -
FCM’s Sustainable Communities Conference 2025
Feb 10 2025
to Feb 13 2025
Fredericton, NB -
GlobeXchange
Feb 11 2025
to Feb 14 2025
Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel -
BuildGreen Atlantic 2025
Apr 28 2025
to Apr 29 2025
Halifax, NS -
Building Lasting Change
Jun 18 2025
to Jun 20 2025
Vancouver, BC